Five observations from USC 28, UCLA 7

Here are five observations from USC's 28-7 victory against UCLA on Saturday at the Coliseum:

1. The final touchdown

Pete Carroll's decision to call a deep pass in the final minute of a 21-7 game is indefensible. There were 52 seconds remaining. UCLA trailed by 14 points. USC had the ball. And it's not like this was a shootout. We're talking about a UCLA team that had just scored its only touchdown the previous possession and needed 13 plays and more than five minutes to do it. The game was over. Carroll acknowledged as much when his team kneeled on first down. It doesn't matter that UCLA then used one of its three timeouts, a move that was more about dignity than anything else.

Check out how Bruins linebacker Kyle Bosworth explained it: “We called a timeout because weren't going to give up until the end. We thought they were going to run out the clock, not go up top on us. And they did. There's other words I could say about it. If you have a timeout you don't want to give up. If you have a timeout, use it, try to prolong your chances of fighting. That's why we used it.”

The Trojans could have responded by running instead of kneeling. They could have even tried to pass for a first down on third-and-long. But to try to score on a pass downfield showed little class. (By the way, where was this dynamic in USC's offense the first 59 minutes … or the rest of the season, for that matter?) Carroll's contention that no one would have made anything out of this had USC ran for a touchdown only proves my point: You don't throw the ball deep in an attempt to score when you're winning by that much with that little time left.

Carroll excused his decision by saying he was just competing. Fine. Then why didn't USC call timeout on the ensuing UCLA possession? After all, there was still time to compete. Of course Carroll wouldn't use a timeout there; the game had already been decided. Just as it had before that touchdown. The way Carroll and his team hopped around and celebrated on the field following Matt Barkley's 48-yard touchdown to Damian Williams goes to show how much this was about competition.

2. Bridging the gap

The Trojans were frustrated and, once they knew they would win, overzealous. They reacted like a team that didn't expect to win, or at the very least, wasn't sure. We saw the Trojans gradually reach this point — three humbling losses assures them of finishing the season with their worst record since 2001. A rather ordinary 28-7 victory against UCLA was a reminder of how ordinary they have become.

For UCLA, there are no moral victories. The Bruins failed to take advantage of the most vulnerable USC team they have faced since Pete Carroll arrived. Not once did it look like UCLA would win. But it also didn't look like USC would (or could) win going away. The Bruins weren't overwhelmed or intimidated. The difference wasn't depth so much as it was deathly turnovers. UCLA came in with an outside shot at burying USC's football monopoly in Los Angeles. If nothing else, the Bruins proved they belong on the same board.

3. 25 cents on the quarterbacks

USC and UCLA's respective quarterback situations are a microcosm for where the two programs are at. USC has the better quarterback, the one that isn't as much of a liability and brings more to the table, thus it has the better team. Remove Barkley's final touchdown from the equation and his numbers were meager: 158 yards, no touchdowns and an interception. But he had also led USC on its game-clinching touchdown drive that made it 21-7, this after UCLA had just scored to make it a seven-point game. The true freshman was far from spectacular but remained efficient and took control when he had to. Even his interception, which came in the UCLA red zone, wasn't too damaging since USC had the lead.

Compare that to what UCLA got from its quarterbacks. Redshirt freshman Kevin Prince's first interception was returned for a touchdown. His second one came at his own 32, giving a Trojans offense that had generated nothing for two quarters a short field. They capitalized for what proved to be an insurmountable 14-0 lead. Kevin Craft, who relieved Prince after Prince injured his right shoulder, was marginally better as he also threw an interception. It came in the fourth quarter at the USC 20, which hurt the Bruins that much more since they had yet to score and still needed two touchdowns to tie the game.

Craft eventually led UCLA on a long touchdown drive but he and Prince had dug their team into too big of a hole for it to affect the outcome. The Trojans sizable advantage at quarterback was the difference between winning and losing.

4. McKnight a rocket, USC coaches no rocket scientists

USC running back Joe McKnight came into this game as maybe the most important player on either side of the ball. He was the lone game-breaker on either team (not including UCLA tailback Johnathan Franklin, who didn't figure to play much because of fumbling issues). If McKnight had a big day, chances are the game wouldn't be close. If the Bruins could contain him, we were probably in for a tug-of-war (turnovers not included). With that said, USC took way too long in determining McKnight's effectiveness and adjusting accordingly.

Allen Bradford, whose size and strength neatly complements McKnight, needed to be more involved once it became clear McKnight would not be beating the Bruins by himself. USC, naturally, ignored Bradford in the first quarter and briefly played running back roulette with him and C.J. Gable in the second quarter. Was it that hard to figure out why USC's first offensive touchdown came in the third touchdown when Bradford got all three handoffs. Or that he got all four on the touchdown drive late in the fourth quarter that sealed the game? Not if I did.

5. UCLA tailing behind without a tailback

USC isn't ASU. Why is that important? Well, it's relevant to mention since UCLA tried to beat the Trojans with the same approach — i.e. using fullback Chane Moline at tailback. That's fine when your defense scores two touchdowns and you're facing one of the worst offenses in the conference. You can afford to settle for a 3.4-yard average per carry. It was going to take a little more to beat USC. You know, like having a tailback at tailback.

The Bruins stuck with Moline, however, and paid dearly. He gained 15 yards on 12 carries. Tailback Derrick Coleman had just one carry, a one yard gain in the second quarter. Franklin, who did not play against the Sun Devils, didn't touch the ball until the final play of the third quarter. Among his four carries was a 20 yarder, which he fumbled and recovered.

Not only has avoiding the tailbacks wrecked their confidence, it just isn't very smart. You can't give a 245-pound fullback who has averaged less than four yards a carry his entire career and had just eight attempts all season before last week the bulk of the handoffs in the biggest game of the season, especially when you're playing from behind.

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